My online journal where I share my interests in photography, nature, coffee life, journaling, fountain pens, bicycling, spirituality and asking deep questions.
On my way to play this past Friday and noticed these clouds along a housing development a couple of blocks from my condo. They were just so dark and ominous looking I had to stop and take a shot. Surprisingly, not one drop of rain fell. If you look close you will see a bicyclist in the center of the image at the edge of the trees. This is where the bicycle path runs.
Had an interesting conversation with my grandson yesterday morning. We had a beautiful frost overnight leaving these large crystals all over the car. I told him to check them out as they were just gorgeous. He looked then stated he thought I was the only one who would notice something like that. He may be close as there may not bee that many people who look at frost as I do. It could be my age is giving me more respect for the constant art of nature. Or it could be walking around with a camera in my hand has helped me to pay more attention to our world.
“You pray in your distress and in your need; would that you might pray also in the fullness of your joy and in your days of abundance.” ― Kahlil Gibran, The Prophet
Being in nature is a form of prayer. With my camera in hand I’m always looking for something to place in the viewfinder. To do that I must observe and stay present then I cannot help but see the wonder of nature and reflect on it’s creation. I’m thankful to be there and when giving thanks we’re offering a prayer in nature.
Last week I slept in one morning. It seemed like the covers weighed a ton making it too difficult to get up. After another hour of sleep I found the strength to remove the covers and crawl out of bed. The sun was already up casting that warm morning light through my window. As I watched the sun in my room several questions went through my mind. What did this mornings sunrise looked like? What colors were there? What animals and birds would have watched it with me? What would it be like to see every sunrise or sunset? How many people see twelve or more sunrises or sunsets in a year? What would I be like if I experienced more sunrises and sunsets? Would I have a quieter mind, know more peace? Lots of questions this morning. Maybe I should have gotten up earlier. 🙂
Another one of the nature areas in Fort Collins is Riverbend Ponds. It is straight east of me about 4 miles along Prospect Road. I have not been out there for the past 5 years so I stopped by for a walk and look see. The skies were dark and overcast with a few sprinkles here and there and a lot of wind. So much had changed. They have a wooden path leading through a marshy area so I took that path. The cattails were above my head, making it feel like I was in a forest rather than a wetlands area. Everything was green and lush. There are several more of these nature areas for me to explore so I’ll probably be posting a few more images and boring you with stories.
This post is a continuation of the thoughts generated from Earls post on Embracing Chaos and from Tom Dills post on Noise. We all pretty much agree there is visual chaos within nature. I would like to suggest that for some people the sounds of nature may be considered chaos while for others it can be “exalting” music. Music has been an intragel part of man early on. Man has made musical instruments from pounding on hollow logs, carving wooden flutes and violins to our modern mp3 players. Man has chanted and sang for years. Some of us have rhythm and some us struggle to keep the beat. Some can carry a tune and some can’t. I lean more towards the latter of both. When younger I took guitar lessons with aspirations of being a rock star. Due to my lack of musical talent, and dad wouldn’t let me grow my hair long, the reality of that dream quickly faded. Over the past few years listening to rock and roll, country or jazz music no longer appeals for me. I’ve moved away from listening to music or even being around it, choosing quiet or the sounds of nature. So much more enjoyment in the sounds of nature for me.
For me the sounds of nature offers a quiet where the chaotic noise of our society can’t. When March Madness started a couple of my crew members asked me to join them at Buffalo Wild Wings to eat and watch the earlier games. However, attempting to have a conversation with them over the man-made chaos of 20-30 strategically placed televisions is no longer appealing. That is chaos to me. For me the sound of wind blowing through the leaves, the meadowlarks morning song, the cadence of falling rain, or the clap of thunder from a passing storm, or the quiet of a snowfall is a soothing sound to me. Maybe I’m just getting old but it’s natures music that stirs me inside not the beat if a drum.
“Observing and photographing nature makes me realize who is truly in control, and believe me, it’s not us humans.”
Michael Garth